January 13, 2026, 10:01 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Movement often shapes the daily lives of many people in a casual way, without any athletic intent. These seemingly insignificant activities are increasingly becoming the focus of research. A study examines the role of everyday movement in mortality risk and how continuous physical activity beyond training sessions is linked to long-term health and lifespan.
What was studied? A large long-term study involving nearly 70,000 adults aged 43 to 78 examined how light physical activity in daily life affects health.1 Simple movements such as housework and standing, as well as leisurely walking, were recorded. The activity was objectively measured: All participants wore a special movement-tracking device on their wrist for seven days. The study aimed to determine the duration of daily movement at which health benefits become measurable—and how much movement yields the greatest effect.
For Cancer: The More Movement, the Better
Results: The data shows that even a little more movement in daily life can make a big difference. Those who move lightly but regularly have a significantly lower likelihood of dying from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, or prematurely in general. Specifically, the following correlations were found:
- From about 3.6 hours of movement per day, the likelihood of early death was 19 percent lower than for people with very little activity (about 2.7 hours daily).
- The strongest effect was at 5.7 hours per day. In this group, the mortality rate was even 37 percent lower than the comparison group.
- For deaths from cardiovascular diseases, the likelihood decreased by 18 percent from around 3.7 hours per day and by 37 percent at 6.1 hours daily.
- For cancer-related deaths, it was 14 percent lower from 3.6 hours of movement daily and 27 percent at 5.8 hours.
- The frequency of new diseases also decreased: Cardiovascular diseases occurred 6 percent less frequently from 3.9 hours daily; cancer cases were 6 percent less frequent from 4.4 hours of daily movement.
The greatest protection against cardiovascular diseases was observed at about seven hours of light movement daily. For cancer, no upper limit of benefit was found. Here, the more movement, the better.
Significance: The study impressively shows that even simple everyday movements can significantly improve health. Those who regularly walk, move during housework, or stand more instead of sitting can increase their life expectancy. Older people, individuals with chronic illnesses, and those who cannot engage in intensive sports sessions particularly benefit. These findings fill a gap in recommendations and provide valuable quantitative insights for future movement guidelines. Activities of low intensity prove effective and are easily integrated into daily life. The benefit was particularly evident in people who also have little time for more intensive sports.
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